TURBULATOR MEANS FOR AN ELECTRICAL DEVICE FOR INTERRUPTING AN OVERLOAD CURRENT

摘要

An electrically insulated turbulator for use in an electrical device for automatically interrupting an overload current is a one-piece molded assembly with an arcuate portion arranged around a terminal screw and a downwardly turned flange for shielding the terminal from the ionized gases in the arc chute. The arcuate portion has several fins and spaced-apart planar portions, both of which are located in the path of the ionized gases. The planar portions have surfaces which cooperate with the fins to create a turbulent flow pattern to decrease the length of the gas flow, and thereby optimize the cooling effect on the gases and for directing the gas flow in a desired direction. The turbulator is preferably made of a gassing material which contributes to the deionizing of the gasses, which lessens the buildup of gas pressure. It also preferably has a blowout membrane in order to limit the back pressure in the device.